Opinion on boat lift bunks

[Ba6257]

Hello,

I've recently purchased a 2009 212SS. My family has a small cabin on the lake with a boat house. The lift is currently configured for a pontoon boat and I need to convert over to fit my boat. I've talked with the company that made the lift, Doozie, and have ordered some new cables (the ones on there are 20+ years old) and some adjustable bunk mounting brackets.

My questions have to do with the bunk boards:

What boards should I use? 2x8 or 2x10?

Should I use a single board on each side or should I use 2 boards bolted together for more strength to keep them from bowing out in the middle?

Board length?

What is the correct spacing between boards to fit the bottom of the boat?

Anything else I'm not thinking of?

Here is a picture of how it is currently configured. The mounting brackets are currently welded on and I'll have to cut them off and grind them flush. Also there are 2 foot long sections of railroad track bolted to the tops of the cradle to help sink it. Thinking I'm going to have to move them or do away with the completely, not sure if they are needed.

Also attached is a pic of the boat sitting on the trailer. Not sure if I need to mirror the distance of the inside or outside bunks as they are?

Thanks for your help.

 

[ZippyBoater]

Hello,

I've recently purchased a 2009 212SS. My family has a small cabin on the lake with a boat house. The lift is currently configured for a pontoon boat and I need to covert over to fit my boat. I've talked with the company that made the lift, Doozie, and have ordered some new cables (the ones on there are 20+ years old) and some adjustable bunk mounting brackets.

My questions have to do with the bunk boards:

What boards should I use? 2x8 or 2x10?

Should I use a single board on each side or should I use 2 boards bolted together for more strength to keep them from bowing out in the middle?

Board length?

What is the correct spacing between boards to fit the bottom of the boat?

Anything else I'm not thinking of?

Here is a picture of how it is currently configured. The mounting brackets are currently welded on and I'll have to cut them off and grind them flush. Also there are 2 foot long sections of railroad track bolted to the tops of the cradle to help sink it. Thinking I'm going to have to move them or do away with the completely, not sure if they are needed.

Also attached is a pic of the boat sitting on the trailer. Not sure if I need to mirror the distance of the inside or outside bunks as they are?

Thanks for your help.

Your local boat lift company can probably sell you the parts, bunks and carpet to modify your lift. I had the same issue on Lake Gaston, VA. The parts were about $150 all together. I waited until the winter when they were looking for work and they did the conversion for $275 in one day. Good luck.

 

[tabbibus]

Welcome to the forum!

Agree with zippy. Share your location on your profile and people may be able to help with companies to go to.

 

[MattFX4]

@tabbibus did you ever get your lift installed? If so, which way did you end up going? Maybe I missed it if you already posted.

 

[tabbibus]

I posted on the "what did you do to your boat today". Went with a used 6K lbs lift, bow first. Guy gave me a good price with installation and lots of new parts on the refurbished lift. And a very good warranty. The floats look like old soviet missiles but otherwise I really like my set up.

 

[Ba6257]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm a hands on guy, so looking to do it myself vs getting a service to do it. Just hoping to hear from some that have gone through the exercise of setting up bunks. Good news is my brackets are adjustable, so guess I can tune it as needed. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Ba6257]

I posted on the "what did you do to your boat today". Went with a used 6K lbs lift, bow first. Guy gave me a good price with installation and lots of new parts on the refurbished lift. And a very good warranty. The floats look like old soviet missiles but otherwise I really like my set up.

View attachment 100211

That's an interesting setup. Those bunks look awfully close together, do you feel the boat is stable with them that close? Are they the same distance apart front to back?

 

[Ratket]

Best bet to prolly measure out the bunks on the trailer- all dimensions and angles.. then try and copy that over?

 

[tabbibus]

Yeah it seems stable. I was inside the boat later and was working on some stuff and it never felt wobbly. I got on and off from bow and stern and it seemed sturdy. There are other lifted yammies in my dock and they all have q similar bunk setup.

It flares out at the stern. So I can only dock bow in.

 

[ZippyBoater]

I am pretty handy too, but I don't own an angle grinder and didn't want to purchase one for just this job. Tools and parts would have put me close to what I paid someone else to do it for me. You should be able to reuse the wood you have for the bunks too.

 

[tabbibus]

Two other yammies, if it helps

.

 

[Ba6257]

It's been a little while, but finally got the setup just like I want it. I originally used a single 2x8x12 for each bunk, but it wasn't high enough and keel would hit the cross member. Plus the board sagged more than I liked. Wound up using the 2x8 and glued and bolted it to a 2x10 to get some more height and strength. I also cut and placed a small block under the front to gain another 1.5 inch. So now I have plenty of clearance.

Wound up spacing the rear of the bunk around 34 inches center to center and the front bunks around 30 inches. I might still adjust the front some more, but it works for now.